Cold Feet Questions helps ease pre-wedding anxiety

WASHINGTON – The rehearsals, proof-reading invitations, getting fitted for the gown, who sits where, flowers and lists of “to dos” for the big day can rattle anyone.

For some brides, the stress of planning a wedding may cause doubts or what is commonly called cold feet. Some brides (and sometimes grooms) need a trained ear to help sort through the anxiety.

Jeff Smidt is the chief marketing officer of Bridal Brokerage, a company started by University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business students, which buys and resells weddings that are called off. Smidt’s new venture, Cold Feet Questions, helps couples cope with pre-wedding anxiety.

“We realized about a quarter million couples call off their wedding every year, suffering from what is known as cold feet,” Smidt says. “There wasn’t a centralized place for help or information where couples could go during this very emotional time in their lives.”

Anyone can send an email using the website and bridal counselor Allison Moir- Smith will respond with her advice. If the question requires an in-depth response, she will call the bride or groom and offer counseling services.

“Many people come to me because they think they have cold feet about getting married, and some people definitely do and should call off their weddings. And others, once we get down to the core issue, find out that it is not cold feet about the relationship, but it’s their own personal issue that they can work through,” she says.

Moir-Smith says she wants brides to enjoy the process and the planning of getting married, but advises not to let “the hoopla” overwhelm the special day in their life.